Sorry for being sacrilegious but I’ve reached that point in life where I’m dabbling in N/A beers. What’s the best I can hope for? So far N/A Guinness is the best I’ve found. Delirium zero is tolerable and the rest has been one and done. Any recommendations?
When I’ve abstained from real beer here and there, I’ve found that Athletic Brewing really is the best (and I’ve tried my fair share). Before they came around, Clausthaller was a German NA brewery and a second good choice. That said, if I’m correct, I don’t see their stuff at Trader Joe’s anymore unfortunately. Best wishes.
I had a couple samples from Go Brewing at a beer fest a little while back and I recall being pretty impressed. Their website says they distribute to Massachusetts
Untitled Art - I have tried dozens of NA beers You will thank me.... Also, many of the European NA beers are very good - Bitburger, Stella, Peroni, etc You can check NA beers here and their ratings https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/top-styles/5/
I agree with the Untitled Art recommendation, but they are typically 50-60 percent (or more) higher in price for some reason. However, I think you can watch their website and discover special deals. As an example, in the NA thread from The Bar forum that I'm linking below, someone posted a link to a BOGO offer of buy a $20 12-pack and get one free. Twenty bucks for a 12-pack sounds pretty reasonable itself, but in my store that same 12-pack is more like $35! I don't understand that pricing. I think that special deal was temporary, but it's worth checking out. I haven't gone to try again because I'm still working on finishing the ones I bought back then. I keep Stella Artois 0.0 in my fridge, but it is fairly equal in taste to the other Euro brands, which all are pilsner-like styles. But check out the 2026 version of the NA thread linked below for good info. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/non-alcoholic-beer-appreciation-2026.682335/ EDIT: Since it seems that you're new at trying NA beers, one major factor for you to consider is to buy the freshest-dated NA beer that you can. I haven't seen scientific studies on this, but I think NA beers don't hold up as well on the store shelf, probably because less alcohol likely means less preservative.
Untitled Art Italian Pils is the closest thing to a craft pils you can find. Athletic for anything hoppy. Go DIPA is tasty assuming it's fresh. Corona NA tastes exactly like corona if you want that experience, but it's cheap. I really like the Sierra Nevada stuff but it's higher calorie and harder to find, scratches the itch perfectly though.
My faves, in order: Rescue Club Pils brewed by Zero Gravity (by far the best I've had), Guinness Black Butte Porter Heineken 0, but I've heard they maybe use chemicals? Athletic
The best one I have ever had is Mark It Zero from Royal City Brewing In Guelph, ON. Unfortunately I think that it is only available at the brewery. It stands on it's own as a quality beer, without any of the off flavours that seem to plague NA beers in general. There are a few different processes available to de-alcoholize beer, some are better than others. I find that most NA beers are terrible in general, but I find that the darker brews are in general, less terrible.
I need to revisit Athletic. I’ve been drinking a lot more N.A. beers of late and so far I’ve tried 3….Guinness N.A., SN Trail Pass and New Trail No Broken Heels. I think Trail Pass was the best so far. New Trail is ok, and Guinness not quite as enjoyable. I’ll keep exploring.
Untitled Art without question. I was also impressed with Sierra Nevada's Trail Pass lineup, especially the hoppy ones. Guinness 0 and Deschutes Black Butte NA are excellent, as are the hoppy offerings from Big Grove (Zero Eddy), Athletic (Run Wild), and Surly (Outlook Good). Heineken 0.0 and Corona Cero are not too bad. I'd avoid Bravus. As always, YMMV.
I still think the best ones are mostly exclusive to Germany, but it's a niche that is improving fast. For readily available ones, I'm a big fan of Heineken 0. Black Butte N/A is killer if they have it in your area. Athletic's hoppy offerings can be hit and miss, but I like their golden, lite, and copper. For some reason they only sell it in Texas, but Rick's Near Beer might be the best American one I've had.
I've tried a variety during multiple attempts at dry January. Athletic is good, but I thought the Sierra Nevada Trail Pass series is even better.
I'm unfortunately relegated to mostly NA beer for now. Obviously, accessibility plays a big part in you options. Some of the best I've had include Best Day Kolsch and Nature's Pils, Athletic Run Wild, Free Wave, and Atletica, Deschutes Black Butte and Fresh Squeezed, Kit Hazy IPA and Golden, and Gruvi Juicy Dayz. Unfortunately, there are way more really bad NAs than good ones.
Second the Best Day NA beers, and also Untitled Art. With margin, Untitled Art would go for about 19.49 at my store, this is for a 6-pack. Def not cheap. An Athletic 6-pack goes for 13.99. I think Clausthaler NA is not bad, and Athletic is just okay. Other Half does a NA beer that I'd be curious to try.
I'd hate to give them credit but Tired Hands' N/Alien Church is hands down the best I've had. Athletic's beers are a distant second.
I normally never buy those, but somehow when I had as options in a French equivalent to some Six Flags I’ve opted for Heineken 0,0 instead of Coke. Pleasant surprise.
Deschutes Black Butte NA is up there with Guinness 0 (all of Deschutes NA is quality) Also recommend the UA sours
Fun fact, a ton of NA beers are contract brewed by these guys: https://brewvo.com/ They do a great job, so that isn't a knock on anyone.